The Law is the Law
by racle
Summary: The Titans' normal crimefighting lives are disrupted when the government attempts to deport Starfire as an illegal alien. Raven soon gets caught in the INS dragnet as well. The Titans have the mayor's support, but the law won't listen to emotional appeals
1. Crackdown

Chapter 1

The Teen Titans had another normal day. In the morning, Cyborg and Beast Boy argued over whether to use tofu or regular eggs. Raven fixed herself a cup of herbal tea. What wasn't usual, though, was the knock on the door, which Robin went to answer.

Two men dressed in uniform, one tall and thin, the other large and burly, towered over Robin, casting dark shadows upon him. But Robin wasn't intimidated; after all, he had fought off villains twice as large. "Any reason for you to come to Titans Tower?" asked Robin.

"Yes," answered the large, burly man, who looked at a clipboard. "We are looking for Starfire. Is she here?"

"She's here. Why?"

The large burly man turned to his partner and whispered. "Should we tell him? He's not going to like the answer…"

The thinner man whispered back. "They've got to face the truth sooner or later, so let's just tell them." Then he turned back to Robin. "Actually, can we talk to all of the team? It's something you should all hear."

"Sure!" replied Robin. Robin turned back into the tower and the door automatically shut in the two men's faces. Robin started back up the stairs and met Starfire. "Who was at the door?" she asked. "We'll find out soon," said Robin.

Robin walked back up the stairs to find Cyborg and Beast Boy still arguing. "Titans!" Robin raised his voice to be heard over the argument. "The police are at the door and they want to see all of us!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy stopped arguing and came out of the kitchen. Everyone was still hungry, since breakfast was nowhere in sight. "Who was it?" asked Cyborg. "I don't know," answered Robin. All five Titans came back down the stairs to answer the door.

The two men were still there. "Actually, can we come in?" inquired the bigger man. "Okay," Robin shrugged. "Now you can talk."

"We're agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service," explained the bigger man. "We have learned of the presence of an illegal immigrant at Titans Tower." Robin realized what he meant and gasped in shock.

"Illegal immigrant?" questioned Beast Boy. "Where?"

The thinner uniformed man stepped up. "We were informed that some time ago, a young woman named Starfire illegally entered the United States. Now, in accordance with the law of the United States of America, we are here to deport her back to her home country."

The bigger man saw the two female Titans. "Now which of you is Starfire?" he asked, knowing that it had to be one of them, because Robin had previously admitted that Starfire was at home.

The thinner man correctly pointed Starfire out. "I think you're coming with us," he boomed, suddenly slapping a pair of handcuffs on her with unexpected speed.


	2. Reaction Time

OH MY GOD I FORGOT THE DISCLAIMER!!!! I don't own anything in this story...not even the G-men, because the G-men are the invention of the United States of America (government). I have no money with which to pay for a lawsuit so don't bother.

Chapter 2

"Why must I come with you? What have I done wrong?" Starfire was quite confused now. "You came here without documents!" the thinner policeman shouted harshly. Upon seeing Starfire still confused he continued: "That in itself is the crime! Now we're sending you back home!" He started dragging her out the door with strength that, though still human, was rather surprising for his wiry appearance.

"But this is my home!" she protested.

"Not legally," retorted the larger man, "not yet, anyway. Perhaps someday this can be your home…"

The two men together struggled to drag Starfire into their waiting car. She struggled against the handcuffs, which were soon in imminent danger of breaking. Robin saw what was about to happen. "No, Star, no!" he shouted frantically, "Just go! We'll find a way to get you back!" He was too late as the handcuffs cracked and the chain split. As the two police put her in the car the chubbier one commented to his partner: "You know, actually that Robin kid is pretty clever." "Why do you think that?" inquired the thinner man. "He knew that if she broke the handcuffs it would have been resisting arrest," the large man explained. "I see what you mean," the thinner man said. Suddenly the policemen realized that they had heard the cuffs break. "We'll have to add a charge to her trial," commented the larger man.

Meanwhile, at Titans Tower…

The four remaining Titans debated their next course of action. "The four of us were all born here, right?" inquired Robin, just to make sure.

"Actually I was born on Azarath," stated Raven flatly, although she could guess the potential implications.

"In that case, it's probably not safe for you either. We need to find somewhere for you to hide until this thing blows over," he said.

Suddenly the alarm sounded. The Titans all wondered what to do. Robin was obviously torn on the question of whether to risk bringing Raven out on the mission. Raven read his thoughts and broke the impasse. "They can't be that fast," she said aloud. "The INS is a bureaucracy. Even if they see me, it'll take them a few days to get the arrest warrant."

"Titans, go!" ordered Robin, slightly more confidently. The Titans piled into the T-car and Cyborg drove them to the jail. When they arrived at the jail it was only Plasmus escaping. Plasmus noticed the four Titans behind him and let loose with a barrage of purple sludge. The Titans scattered out of its path. Plasmus spit acid at Raven, but her shield blocked the acid.

Beast Boy transformed into a green T-rex and lashed around, striking Plasmus through the center with his tail. Plasmus grabbed the tail with both "hands" and left Beast Boy stuck in a pool of sludge at his feet. Plasmus then threw one arm at Cyborg and the other at Robin. Although Robin cartwheeled aside, Cyborg was a bigger target and was knocked down and pinned under a sludge crab. A surge of dark energy struck Plasmus's center, knocking out pieces of sludge; Plasmus responded with a stream of acid spit, but Raven continued to press her attack, accidentally knocking Plasmus's mass backwards and also knocking his mouth open, resulting in a far wider and less concentrated spread of acid than Plasmus had intended. Raven was caught off guard and was unable to generate enough energy to shield herself; fortunately, most of Plasmus's attack missed her. What little acid did fall on Raven was only barely enough to dissolve her cloak and leotard.

Plasmus, who had not intended to achieve that effect, broke out in laughter. Robin had been preparing to throw an electric disk; but along with the other boys, he was momentarily distracted by the sheer beauty that was Raven without her clothes. Raven blushed uncontrollably and immediately cast a dark-energy shield around herself, but even the shield was, unfortunately, transparent. Plasmus took advantage of the Titans' distraction and lobbed sludge crabs. Raven sank into the ground using her powers, still red in the face, while Robin was pinned by a sludge crab.

The electric disk that Robin had forgotten to throw exploded in his hand, inflicting great pain on his arm but coincidentally destroying the sludge crab. Robin put his fantasies about Raven out of his mind and refocused on the battle, throwing three electric disks with the same sweep of his other hand—two towards the sludge crabs pinning Cyborg and Beast Boy and one at Plasmus.

"Let's use the Sonic Boom!" Robin called to Cyborg.

"I've got the sonic if you got the boom," Cyborg replied, as always.

The two Titans ran at Plasmus together, Robin throwing an explosive disk and Cyborg firing at the disk with his sonic cannon. The resulting explosion vaporized most of Plasmus's mass, leaving behind only a shrunken, man-sized pile of sludge. Plasmus tried spitting a final acid attack at Beast Boy, who was still distracted. Robin leaped up and pushed Beast Boy out of the way while Cyborg fired his sonic cannon again, knocking Plasmus out. Plasmus turned into an unconscious human.

Robin, since it was his duty as the leader, reminded the Titans of their next step. "Let's get Plasmus back into his stasis cell!" he commanded.


	3. Unexpectedly Quick

Chapter 3

Beast Boy hadn't noticed Robin's order, since he was still drooling over Raven. Robin told Cyborg to take Plasmus's legs while Robin picked up the arms, and they got Plasmus back to his cell without further assistance. A few prison guards emerged from their hiding spots and offered assistance. Cyborg entered Plasmus's cell through the broken door. Clearly visible signs on each wall shouted "ABSOLUTE SILENCE!" Cyborg helped one of the prison guards who was a technician repair the broken stasis cell and reconnect the broken wires. Robin saw the signs and was curious. He asked the technician, "How did Plasmus get woken up?"

Plasmus, in the stasis cell, started to come around. He groaned and opened his eyes. Robin realized the danger and ran over, but Cyborg was quicker in getting out his sonic cannon and firing a blast right into the still-human Plasmus's chest, knocking him safely unconscious again.

A police who wasn't a guard interrupted: "Hey, do any of you know where Raven went?" It was easy for Robin and Cyborg to guess. Cyborg answered, "I'd guess she probably went home." "Thank you," said the police officer, who turned on his heel and left.

The technician recalled what had happened. "Well, just before Plasmus woke up I saw two police officers bring in another prisoner. She must have had superpowers also; she had red hair, purple clothing, and her eyes glowed green, and she was trying to persuade the policemen to release her. They were just dragging her past Plasmus's cell and her shouting must have woken him up. Then the door collapsed under the weight of the sludge and the monster came out. We're so fortunate to have you to protect us; I don't know what might have happened if that monster got loose…"

Cyborg and the prison technician finished fixing the stasis cell and slipped Plasmus safely inside. Cyborg and Robin went back into the T-car, making sure to bring the still-distracted Beast Boy with them, and they went home for the day.

Meanwhile, Raven had teleported back to her room in Titans Tower and put on a fresh costume. A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. The other Titans hadn't arrived yet, so Raven answered the door and was confronted with another police officer, somewhat shorter than the two from the previous day but still nearly a head taller than her.

"I believe you are Raven?" Raven's heart sank and she didn't bother to use her mind-reading powers. She steeled herself to be arrested as an illegal alien.

The T-car arrived just then and the two sober Titans, Robin and Cyborg, both started at the sight of the policeman standing in the door. Their hearts sank as they realized that he was probably here to arrest Raven for being an illegal alien. They stopped the car and leaped out.

Even as they ran towards the door, it was too late as they heard the words of doom come out of the officer's mouth: "Raven, you are hereby under arrest for indecent exposure," followed immediately by the click of handcuffs. Robin and Cyborg stopped in their tracks in shock. That had certainly not been what they expected to hear!

"WHAT?!" Raven screamed, knocked off-balance by the unexpected charge. Her normal eyes turned into four red-glowing eyes as she towered over the formerly taller police officer, who cowered in fright. "You think I did that on purpose!?" yelled Raven's raspy demon voice. The handcuffs placed by the police officer were surrounded by a black halo and broken in an instant. The officer turned tail and ran from the black tentacles emerging from under Raven's cloak. "I'll have to add resisting arrest to the list of charges against you!" he shouted defensively, only to be swept up by four black tentacles.

Another officer stepped out of the parked police car and aimed his handgun. Beast Boy saw what was happening and snapped back to reality. "Raven, no!" shouted both Cyborg and Robin at the same time. "Don't shoot!" added Robin, "We'll take care of her!" Cyborg pulled out his sonic cannon and blasted the tentacles holding the first police officer. Robin hurled bird-a-rangs at the other tentacles that headed towards the second police officer. Beast Boy morphed into a green ram and charged Raven head-on, knocking her down.

Suddenly Raven's eyes returned to normal. She gasped as she realized what she had just done. Even though the tentacles had disappeared, the second officer continued to point his gun at her, just in case, while he announced the new list of charges: "Raven, you are hereby under arrest for indecent exposure, resisting arrest, and assaulting a peace officer," all the while with his finger tight on the trigger. Raven's eyes flashed red again and she had to summon every ounce of the self-control she had built up over her lifetime to restrain her inner demon. Even then, her eyes continued to blink from normal to red to normal, showing how overtaxed her self-control was.

Still struggling to keep control, Raven levitated up and sat cross-legged in the air meditating. The police officer used his other hand to throw a pair of handcuffs to his frightened partner. The other officer caught the handcuffs, quickly put them on Raven's wrists, then dashed away in fear. With her eyes still flashing red, Raven levitated herself into the police car, meditating all the while, as the two frightened policemen pointed their pistols at her from a safe distance.


	4. The Question

Chapter 4

Back inside the tower, the three remaining Titans debated what to do next.

"Well, at least Raven hasn't been accused of illegal immigration," pointed out Cyborg helpfully.

"Not yet," said Robin glumly. "But when they take her to court, they'll probably do a background check on her and see if she has another criminal record. Then they'll discover her lack of documents. And there's also the fact that she's been charged with a violent offense…"

"How would they prove their case, though?" questioned Cyborg.

"I don't know for sure," started Robin, "but most prisons have videocameras everywhere, so our whole battle with Plasmus is probably recorded on tape. As for the resisting arrest and the officer assault charges…Wait a minute, does our tower have cameras covering the front door?"

"Of course!" replied Cyborg.

"They might try and subpoena our footage of the event," said Robin, thinking aloud.

"Well we can't just erase the footage because then we could get accused of a cover-up…" said Cyborg.

"Who would ever know we had the footage?" inquired Beast Boy. "We could say we never had it, and then they won't be able to prove their case!"

"I don't know, we'd still be breaking the law, even if we don't get caught," said Robin.

"We also have to solve the problem with the lack of documents…" Cyborg reminded them. Suddenly he thought of something and his face lit up. "Wait! I have a great idea!"

"What idea?" asked Beast Boy.

"I'm pretty sure that people can legally bring their wives into the United States," started Cyborg.

"How does that help us?" interrupted Robin. However, Beast Boy's face also lit up as he had a good guess as to what Cyborg meant.

Cyborg faced Robin, making sure that he was talking directly to Robin. "You do have feelings for Starfire, don't you?" he asked, unintentionally pointedly.

"I hope so," mumbled Beast Boy, who didn't realize what he had said until a quarter of a second later. He started to slap his hand over his mouth.

Too late!

"You hope so?" asked Cyborg.

"I didn't say anything!" protested Beast Boy, but he knew it was too late. Cyborg had heard him.

Robin did not take part in the growing argument between Cyborg and Beast Boy. Cyborg's earlier question, and Beast Boy's mumbled comment, continued to ring in his ears, drowning out everything else. There was no easy answer. _Do I have feelings for Starfire?_ The question pursued Robin relentlessly for the duration of that day and night, haunting him more severely than Slade could ever dream of doing. _What was the significance of Beast Boy's comment?_ _Does it have any bearing on my quandary?_ he wondered silently.

End Chapter

* * *

This would be my first try at writing romance. I'm not sure of the pairings yet, so I'll leave it up to you. Let me know what you want, and if possible give some justification for your preference. Thank you! 


	5. The Question Revisited

Chapter 6

(Yes, this is the genuine Chapter 6—all previous "Chapter 6"'s are impostors)

Robin stepped out of the shower, dried himself with a towel, and put on a blue shirt and white striped pajamas. He lay down on his bed, still trying to decide how he felt for Starfire. He put his utility belt under his pillow and drifted off…

Robin failed to sleep well that night. After repeating the same dream five times and the same nightmare four times, he gave up trying to rest and headed up to the roof. He sat in the center of the roof and tried (unsuccessfully) to think his way out of Cyborg's question.

Within a few minutes he became aware of a large cannon poised at the back of his head, ready to fire. His heartbeat quickened but he tried to stay calm, giving no indication that he had sensed the intruder behind him as he considered his next move. Suddenly he pivoted around on his bottom and stuck his foot out, kicking the man down. The man cried out in Cyborg's voice.

"Robin? Is that you?" inquired Cyborg, upon seeing who it was.

"Yeah, it's me! How did you know I was up here?" said Robin.

"Your hair is messed up," pointed out Cyborg, "so it triggered the biometric scanner in our security system. I designed the system so that the alarm can only be heard from inside the bedrooms."

"The system was tripped because my hair isn't in its normal shape?"

"I guess so. Anyways, why are you up so early?"

"I had nightmares." Robin still shuddered to remember exactly what those nightmares contained.

"I guess that happens to everyone at some time," Cyborg sighed. "Well, let's try and take your mind off your bad dreams. Do you have an answer to my question yet?"

"I don't know. I think my dreams may have been caused by your interrogation."

"Interrogation!? That was one simple question!"

"I don't know where to start…"

Cyborg buried his head in his hands. Unfortunately he dropped his head into his (metal) hands a bit too fast and the metal of his left hand struck the biological half of his face. He meant to say, "I never imagined this would be so complicated" but what came out was "OW!!"

Robin forgot about Raven for the second time and jumped to Cyborg's side, making sure that no enemies were about. "Cyborg, are you okay?" he shouted worriedly.

"Owwwww…" Cyborg cried in pain, instinctively trying to massage the painful half of his face with his hand. The metal merely scraped against his already-bruised face, making the pain worse.

Just at that moment the door on the roof swung open and Beast Boy appeared, dressed in his normal uniform. He saw Cyborg in pain and immediately transformed into a rhinoceros, charging at the figure he saw by Cyborg's side, thinking that the figure had attacked Cyborg. The figure raised his hands and shouted "Beast Boy! It's me, Robin!"

Beast Boy suddenly realized that he was charging at Robin and quickly transformed back into his normal human form, but failed to skid to a stop fast enough. His toes, followed by his feet, slipped under Robin's feet, levering Robin into the air and forcing him to somersault past Cyborg's face in order to land gracefully on his feet. Robin's hair was still messy and the spikes pointed every which way. One of the spikes of his hair scraped into Cyborg's already bruised-purple face and cut into it, drawing a thin stream of blood. "OWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Cyborg, starting to clutch his face in pain before remembering to keep his hand away from the injured part of his face.

Robin looked in all directions. The full moon shone in the sky and he saw no one except Beast Boy and Cyborg. "Cyborg, are you okay?" shouted Beast Boy worriedly as he heard Cyborg's cry of pain. With the situation getting no better, Robin and Beast Boy took Cyborg down to the tower's hospital room.

In the hospital, after getting the cut on his face bandaged and an ice pack on his entire purple face, Cyborg managed to feel a bit better. Now he finally got around to saying what he had meant to say to Robin on the roof, "I never imagined this would be so complicated."

"I know, I didn't think so either," Robin agreed, "not until you asked that damned question, anyway."

"It's not a hard question," repeated Cyborg.

"It shouldn't. I try to answer it, but the image of Raven keeps getting in the way. I don't know how I feel anymore."

Cyborg sighed in frustration. "Robin, you shouldn't be thinking about her like that. I realize Raven is beautiful, but you have to decide whether you love her as a person. Ignore everything your eyes tell you. I never thought I'd have to say this to you, of all people—maybe to Beast Boy, but I thought you already knew this. Follow your heart!"

"So which way does my heart point?" retorted Robin.

"You're the only one who can answer that question…"

End Chapter.

I now give you, the reader, a chance to answer Cyborg's question. Which way does Robin's heart point? Give me some help here!


	6. You have the right to a lawyer

Chapter 7

The police car pulled up to the police station and the front doors opened. The driver stepped out of the car first, drew his gun, and pointed it at Raven, who was still levitating over the back seat. The other officer, who had never holstered his gun at all, stepped out of the car and opened one of the back doors. Raven's eyes were still blinking red, although with decreasing frequency, as she floated out of the police car, still in a cross-legged sitting position, with her palms facing each other and chained together at the wrist with handcuffs. The police officers kept a safe distance away as they motioned for her to float down the halls of the station. The police walking in front of her opened a door and motioned her inside. The officer behind her pointed to a chair, which she landed in, still sitting cross-legged.

The first officer recited the rote speech that was code for beginning an interrogation: "You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand these rights?"

Raven nodded yes. She cut off the second policeman by telepathically transmitting to both officers at the same time: _I choose not to answer any questions now._ The police officers nodded and raised their weapons again to escort her to the jail. After she had levitated into her cell at the jail, one of the officers darted forward with unbecoming agility, locked the barred door, and then both officers fled for their lives.

_Why didn't they do something to keep me from using my powers?_ wondered Raven. After all, as it was she could easily phase through the back wall and teleport away. _On the other hand,_ she thought, _that would get me in even more trouble with the law._ The police officers had not counted in vain upon her heroism; she did eventually choose not to escape, no matter how easily she could have.

Raven sensed an extremely familiar presence in the adjacent cell. She used her telepathic abilities to reach through the separation wall. Soon she realized that Starfire was in the adjacent cell!

Starfire was sitting on the bed in her cell, despondent and bored out of her mind. Suddenly Raven's voice sounded in her head: _Starfire, are you there? It's me, Raven!_

Starfire looked up and saw no one. "Raven? Where are you?"

_I'm in the cell next to yours!_

"Oh! Raven, why are you also here?"

_It's a long story…_

Meanwhile, the other Titans continued their discussion on the next course of action.

"I know I should have thought of this earlier…" trailed off Beast Boy, "but shouldn't we call a lawyer or something? Isn't that what you do when you're accused of something?"

Robin smacked his head. He should have been the one to think of that, and yet, he was too distracted by his confusion about how he felt towards Starfire (not to mention what he dreamed himself doing with Raven). "Yeah, we should," he hastily agreed. Then, retaking the initiative as the leader, he continued, "We can call the mayor's office. In our contract with the Jump City town hall, we're entitled to free lawyers if we ever get in trouble. Maybe now we should use that…"

Robin picked up the phone to call the mayor for help, while Beast Boy and Cyborg fought over what to have for lunch all the way to the kitchen.

"Hello?" asked Robin over the phone.

A recording sounded. "You have reached the Jump City town hall. Για τα ελληνικ� Τύπος ένας. Pour le Français, pression deux. 한국어를 위해, 압박 3. für Deutschen…"

Robin became more and more frustrated as he cycled through the languages. English was normally the first language listed! But he didn't dare take the receiver away from his ear, fearing to miss any potential prompt for "English."

The recording droned on, "…für Deutschen Presse vier. Per italiano, pressa cinque. Para español, presione seis. Для русского, давление 7…"

End Chapter…

Author's Note: In case you couldn't tell (I think most of you should have been able to), the recording means:

"For Greek, press 1. For French, press 2. For Korean, press 3. For German, press 4. For Italian, press 5. For Spanish, press 6. For Russian, press 7." I used AltaVista to get the translations, so if any of the languages are wrong, please tell me the correct form.

Voting is still open for the pairs…I need more feedback!


	7. The Counsel

Chapter 8

Robin fumed as he strained his ears listening to the recording left for callers to the Jump City town hall. "…日�語のため、出版物8…"

(Author's Note: That's Japanese for "For Japanese, press eight.")

The next entry in the recording caught Robin completely off guard. He almost did a double take while holding the phone as he heard, "In order to donate money to help build a memorial statue for Terra, press 9."

While Robin swallowed what the recording had just said, the recording paused and then began to repeat. "You have reached the Jump City town hall. Για τα ελληνικ�, Τύπος ένας. Pour le Français, pression deux. 한국어를 위해, 압박 3. für Deutschen Presse…"

Robin listened three times to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Since there were no other choices in English, Robin pressed "9" on the keypad of the telephone. Another voice (apparently also a recording) began. At around this time, Cyborg and Beast Boy came out of the kitchen, carrying the day's lunch. Robin glanced over and saw a well-blended paste of beef steaks and soybeans, as well as soybean-filled fried eggs and a stack of crushed, ruined pancakes. Cyborg and Beast Boy continued to shout at each other, each accusing the other of ruining the meal.

Robin did not, however, miss the contents of the new recording. "Thank you for taking the time to help us pay for a memorial statue of Terra. Please enter the number of dollars you wish to donate." He got past this prompt by entering "2" and then "0", or 20 dollars.

"Please input your credit card number," the recording ordered. Robin slammed down the receiver and started for the door, forgetting about the lunch. Cyborg and Beast Boy both noticed at the same time. "Robin, where are you going?" they both asked at the same time with one voice. "I'm going to talk to the mayor!" replied Robin. Thinking better of it, he continued, "We're going to ask to borrow his lawyers!"

Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy piled into the T-car, Cyborg driving as usual. Within 7 minutes they arrived at City Hall. Robin led the Titans up the steps and through the maze of halls, doors, and elevators to the mayor's office. After reaching the correct door, Robin put out his gloved hand and knocked three times.

"Who goes there?" demanded the mayor's voice from behind the door.

"We're the Teen Titans! We need your help!" called Robin.

The door burst outward, swinging with lightning speed out and back towards the wall, slamming the Titans (except for Cyborg, who happened to be out of the way) into the wall. "Ouch!" cried Robin and Beast Boy at the same time. The mayor heard their voices behind the door and immediately started to apologize while rapidly pulling the door back away from its position near the wall where it had crushed Robin and Beast Boy. "I'm sor—" the mayor managed to get out, before the door he was pulling back slammed into his leg. "—OW!" the mayor cried out.

A few minutes later, with Robin and Beast Boy bruised in several places and the mayor with a sprained ankle, they were finally able to get down to business in the mayor's office.

"Yes, I heard on the news. The police have been arresting your team…" the mayor was saying. "Why didn't you call me? I could have come over to your place."

"I tried calling City Hall," said Robin, somewhat angrily. "The recording didn't give me any option for English! It said something in eight other languages and then asked for a donation to build a statue of Terra."

"Oh, sorry about that," the mayor apologized. "The languages were part of Jump City's new minority-outreach program. I'm sure you understand the statue donation; after all, your late friend Terra did make the ultimate sacrifice to save hundreds of then-empty buildings. Considering that the real estate in Jump City is worth a total of over four billion dollars, whereas a human life is worth only three million dollars, I'm sure we all see the worthiness of Terra's sacrifice." The mayor smiled sarcastically. "No, actually that part was just a gimmick to raise money for the City to repay its debts." Robin and Cyborg grimaced and did their best to restrain Beast Boy.

"Anyway, as for your case, your friends probably need lawyers who specialize in immigration," the mayor suggested. "I'm the only immigration lawyer around here. That's what I did before I ran for mayor. And, because of who you are, I'll work for you for free."

"Sounds good to me…"

End Chapter.

Author's Note

In case you wonder how I got the $3,000,000 figure:

A newspaper article I read about a year ago said that the U.S. federal government's formula for the value of a human life comes out to about $3 million per person. The article reported that the formula was being revised to eliminate a previous discrepancy which resulted in people over 65 years old being worth about 10 less than people under 65. This value is used for cost-benefit analyses of environmental policy (e.g. giving a financial value to the number of lives saved by "green" policies vs. the financial cost of implementing such a policy). The $4 billion figure is explained in one of my other stories, "The True Value of Terra's Sacrifice."

I ASK YOU AGAIN, WHAT CHARACTER PAIRINGS DO YOU WANT FOR THIS STORY?


	8. Rush Hour

Chapter 9

"Should we begin?" the mayor/former immigration lawyer asked his clients. "If so, this is your free consultation," he went on half-jokingly. "In any case, what I've learned so far is that they've trumped up a few additional accusations in addition to the ones they already had."

"What charges?" demanded all three Titans simultaneously.

"My colleagues told me that Starfire is accused of aiding the escape of a prisoner, in addition to the original charges of resisting arrest and illegal entry to the nation. It seems that while she was being taken to her jail cell, she either argued with or pleaded for mercy from the guards; this occurred as the guards dragged her past the special cell of Plasmus. Her shouting woke up the monster and resulted in $1.3 million of damage to the jail facility and the wounding of four guards.

"I'm also informed that during the investigation of Raven, a background check was performed and her illegal immigration status was discovered.

"In a short time your friends will receive immigration hearings before a judge. Our job now is to find a legal ground for them to stay in the United States. If we succeed, then they will stand trial for their crimes. If we fail, your friends will be deported to their home planets.

"There are some ways to justify an illegal presence in the United States," the mayor continued. "One of them would be to request asylum, but only victims of persecution by their home countries can do that. If the parents of your friends were American, they might qualify for an American citizenship. There's also—" "Brrriiing! Brriiing!" the phone rang. "Excuse me," said the mayor as he picked up the phone.

When he put down the phone his tone was somber. "Your friends' trials just started five minutes ago. We have to get to the courtroom now!"

The Titans and the mayor dashed for the door, tripping all over each other in the process. Only Robin was agile enough to evade being toppled and managed to somersault over the three bodies stuck in the doorway, landing on his feet in the hall. He helped the others up and they proceeded at the fastest possible pace to the parked T-car.

Raven and Starfire were brought handcuffed into the courtroom. The judge sat behind the large counter at the front of the room, with a clerk and bailiff on one side of the room. Every audience seat was occupied, and a crowd stood all along the sides and back of the room, leaving only the center aisle open. Starfire looked around, completely baffled. Camera flashes went off at the rate of three to four per second and videocameras were lined up against the walls all the way up to the front of the room.

With Cyborg driving, the T-car rushed out of the City Hall's underground parking lot and turned onto the main street—only to be snarled up in traffic. The Titans yelled at other drivers and sounded off the T-car's horn repeatedly, to no effect. There was simply not enough space on the road to provide them a clear path.

Although Raven understood less than half of what the prosecutors spoke, she knew that it would be up to her to respond, since Starfire was obviously lost in the proceedings. The judge at the front of the courtroom seemed to be paying not the slightest attention to the debate; instead, he leaned back in his armchair, kicked off his shoes under the bench, placed both his feet (complete with black Batman socks) on the counter, and dozed off. Within minutes, the distinct sound of snoring from the front of the room disrupted Raven's speech. The media all around the room captured Raven's frustration for the entire country to see. The sympathetic audience struggled to suppress laughs.

"This isn't working," declared Robin. "Let's just get out and walk to court." It was true, the T-car had only advanced four feet in four green lights. The Titans and their lawyer stepped out of the car and cut through the stationary traffic to the sidewalk. Behind them, angry drivers honked at them for leaving the T-car in their way. The Titans reached the sidewalk and sprinted off.

Seeing that the judge was sound asleep, the clerk rose from his seat on the side and timidly stepped up to the center of the room, gently shaking the judge by his shoulder. "Your Honor, wake up! There's a trial going on!" she whispered into his ear. The judge moaned and gradually opened his eyes. The prosecuting lawyers were taking their turn to speak. When the judge heard the voices he jerked awake. At last the audience became unable to restrain their laughter. "SILENCE!!!!!" yelled the clerk, grabbing the gavel and slamming it down on the counter. The laughter died down in less than a second.

The prosecutors alternated speaking. Although much of the audience failed to understand much, the judge was all ears. It was at this moment that the door in the back of the chamber burst open, knocking down the standing crowd along the walls like a row of dominoes. The mayor dashed through the center aisle to help Raven as camcorders and tripods toppled to the ground along three walls and reporters unwillingly dropped expensive cameras. Fortunately, Raven caught all the cameras and camcorders with black magic, righting the tripods and gently lowering the cameras to the floor.

As the mayor spoke to represent Raven and Starfire, the noise of the judge's snoring once again reverberated through the courthouse.

End Chapter.

**I'm going to reveal pairings in the next chapter, so this is your last chance to tell me what pairings you want!!!**


	9. Crossroads

Chapter 10

The snores of the immigration judge echoed through the courthouse, making it difficult to hear the Titans' lawyer speaking.

"…My clients have more than adequately shown their devotion to _this_ country. They are good people without any criminal record and they have done us immeasurable services as the city protectors. They have been given no chance to clear their names before being spuriously accused, and presumed guilty—contrary to all we stand for—and are about to receive the legal sanction of a deportation without due process. This is a violation of my clients' Constitutional right to due process and a jury trial…"

The judge continued to snore on as Mayor Granger said: "…So for that reason this court must not order the deportation of my clients. The constitutional issues I have raised should merit a review by a federal court. Let's also consider Raven's request for asylum. Raven is a native of the dimension of Azarath, which happens to be ruled by a demon named Trigon. Trigon is certainly worse than any—"

The prosecutors jumped up from their seats, shouting "Objection, Your Honor—" The sleeping judge jerked awake upon hearing the word "Objection" and, fearing he was missing something, immediately replied "Sustained!" before he realized what had just happened. Shaking his head to clear it, he paused and then mumbled: "I mean…uh…Sir, what did you just say?"

The prosecutor was smiling the most devilish smile as he said, "Well Your Honor, I was about to object that the opposing counsel is using hearsay, which they in fact are not. I was raising an objection that is invalid on its face. Had you been paying attention, you would not have accepted my objection."

The judge thought a moment, then came to a conclusion. "Okay, in that case, the objection is—"

"But as it happens," the prosecutor cut him off, "you sustained my objection before you even listened to see what it was. Therefore, my patently false objection still stands." The audience booed loudly until the judge slammed his gavel on the counter. "We will have order!" he shouted at the top of his voice. "Order!" With the booing quieted the judge immediately went back to sleep.

Both lawyers were confused now, as were all the media commentators. The judge had sustained the prosecutor's objection, but had not instructed the defense what to do about it. Eventually, Mayor Granger decided to continue presenting his case. He cleared his throat and started talking, then realized that the judge was still asleep.

"Uh…Your Honor…wake up!" he said. The audience laughed. The entire nation was being treated to the spectacle of the mayor futilely trying to get the attention of the judge. The judge didn't stir. "Your Honor, can you hear me?" he repeated, louder this time. The judge remained asleep at the table. Finally, he walked up to the bench and shouted right into the judge's face, "Your Honor, wake up!" For good measure he pounded with his fist on the wood counter.

Suddenly the judge was wide awake and fuming. "Mr. Granger do you understand that I was up all last night hearing cases and haven't gotten an hour of sleep this whole week?" he screamed hoarsely, "When I finally get a case that isn't so complex it needs my full attention you disturb my rest! I am holding you in contempt of court and your case is dismissed! YOU LOSE!" With that the judge slammed the gavel angrily upon the countertop. The countertop cracked and the gavel splintered into pieces.

Raven and Starfire were taken aboard a heavily guarded aircraft and flown to Cape Canaveral, where two white-painted spaceships, each emblazoned with the American flag, waited to take them to what the INS considered their homes. Although deportations like these were normally routine, un-newsworthy events, this case was high-profile because of the people involved. Crowds of spectators and news crews with cameras and camcorders awaited the exile Titans at the launch pad. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were there for the final, sad parting of ways.

Suddenly Robin leaped forward, past the police maintaining the safety barrier, and sprinted towards the ships. As the loudspeakers blared out the final countdown, the rocket boosters of the ships began to shoot out bright white flames and smoke. Robin rapidly cut open the door of the ship with a bird-a-rang and slipped inside as the rockets began to heave upwards.

"Goodbye, Robin," whispered Cyborg from within the crowd.

"Cyborg, I'm leaving the city to you," Robin's voice returned through Cyborg's communicator, "Farewell!"

The spectacle over, the crowd began to disperse. Cyborg turned to his left, where he thought Beast Boy was standing—but Beast Boy was gone! Frantically, Cyborg looked around, searching the crowd for any sign of Beast Boy. There was none to be found. Cyborg activated the communicator in his arm and called. "Beast Boy? Beast Boy, where are you?"

There was no response.

The spaceship Robin was on continued away from Earth, dropping its rocket boosters and flying under its own power. Robin stealthily crept along the corridors, evading the security cameras and crewmembers. After about an hour of searching, Robin finally found the brig. Rows of metal-barred, windowless (of course) prison cells lined the walls. Inside each was a toilet (with no sink or toilet paper), a bare mattress, and an empty shelf, all painted the same shade of light gray. Most of the cells were empty. A security camera panned over and Robin hastened to duck out of view. He swerved into an intersecting corridor out of view of that camera, only to see another one panning right at him. He had to run to evade that one and only managed to land perilously close to a roving group of guards. Fortunately, they were walking forward away from him and he could only hope they didn't look back. But they stopped in the corridor for no reason and started to talk; one of them started turning towards him…

Even the Boy Wonder and all his stealth skills had a hard time avoiding being seen here.

The ship rushed through the void of space towards its destination…

End Chapter.

**Author's Note: I am still looking for feedback on the story itself and of course on character pairings, for which I haven't received enough responses to constitute a representative sample of public opinion. If there is anything I can improve on this story, please let me know; I am holding open the pairings for one more chapter to see if I get a clear preference.**

As you may have guessed, I like statistics…


	10. Pick Your Ending

Author's Note: I've had writer's block on this story for a VERY LONG time but I feel that I've been starting and not finishing a lot of stories and that the right thing to do is come back and end these ones. Special credit goes to **Absentia** for suggesting the "Diplomatic Immunity" argument, which I had not been aware of, but have used in this chapter.

Chapter 11

Public opinion was divided on the Titans' exile. In Jump City, as well as other superhero cities such as Gotham and Steel, most residents were in support of legal amnesty for Starfire and Raven, as they knew firsthand the benefits of superhero protection. However, in other areas of the country, which did not experience the ravages of supervillains such as Cinderblock or Slade Wilson, opinion polls found a clear split on the issue that corresponded to the split over the illegal immigration issue in general. Those who supported amnesty for the two female Titans also tended to support amnesty for illegal aliens in general; those who opposed amnesty in this case generally opposed it for other illegals as well.

Jonathan Granger did not give up on the case. He appealed all the wayto the California Supreme Court andhad hislegal assistants and secretarysearch the archives of American statutes and case law for a way to make the Titans legal.

------------------------------------------

Author's Note:

There are several possible story arcs that I had considered; I no longer have the patience to write them completely out, so I will summarize them here for you and let you pick the one you want. Tangents 1 and 2 are Robin/Starfire pairings, Tangent 3 is Robin/Raven, and Tangent 4 is Starfire/Raven.

**Tangent 1**

Robin finds that his true love is for Starfire and leaves Earth to accompany her on Tamaran. Raven returns to her dimension of Azarath, but finds it deserted. With nowhere else to go, she joins Starfire and Robin on Tamaran and is permitted to stay in the imperial palace. Meanwhile, several months pass between the initial deportation hearing and the eventual trial at the California Supreme Court, as Jonathan Granger continues to appeal the case through the system to higher courts. In this time, Robin and Starfire are married, and Robin becomes Crown Prince Richard, destined to succeed Galifore as Emperor of Tamaran.

When the California Supreme Court hears the case, Granger argues that Starfire should have been given diplomatic immunity because she was foreign royalty visiting the United States. The state's lawyers counter that there were no official diplomatic relations between the Tamaranian Empire and the USA at the time of the deportation order. The court upholds the deportation, so Granger informs Robin and Starfire that their best hope now is for the Tamaranian government to open diplomatic relations with America, thus allowing diplomatic immunity to protect them. Because Robin has automatically gained Tamaranian citizenship by marrying Starfire, he is considered a naturalized Tamaranian citizen, which means that he has legally renounced his American citizenship; Starfire can no longer use it to apply for legal residency in America.

In any case, though, this no longer matters as Robin tells Granger to drop the case. He has decided to stay permanently on Tamaran with his wife. He begins using his real name, Richard Grayson, instead of his superhero alias. He is the first non-Tamaranian Crown Prince of Tamaran in history and is well-liked by his new people. Raven, however, decides to return to the Teen Titans, so, under Granger's advice,Starfire gives her a Tamaranian citizenship and appoints her to a high office in the Tamaranian government. Thus given diplomatic immunity, Raven returns to Jump City and continues on as a Titan.

The deportation occurred in the year 2006. The next year, war breaks out between Tamaran and the alliance of Gordania and Dreknath IV. Blackfire is a high official in the Dreknathian government and Slade fights on the Gordanian side as a mercenary, bothleading invading armies against the Tamaranians. Leading the Tamaranians in battle, Richard, Raven, and Starfire win the war together.

Galifore dies peacefully after many years(or perhaps he is killed in the war) and Richard ascends the throne with Starfire.

_(This tangent is the one I personally like the best, because Robin/Starfire seems to be supported more by the Cartoon Network series and also because it fits neatly with my other story, "Operation Tamaranian Freedom", which goes into a detailed history of the war and assumes a very similar background to the one provided by this storyline.)_

**Tangent 2**

The same as Tangent 1 except that Robin and Starfire decide to return to Earth. They travel to the USA in a Tamaranian ship and make official first contact with U.S. government officials, then set up a Tamaranian Embassy in Jump City. Under Granger's advice, they also extend diplomatic immunity to Raven by appointing her to a high office in the Tamaranian government. The five Titans are reunited and continue protecting Jump City.

When war breaks out in 2007(Tamaran vs. Gordania/Dreknath just as in Tangent 1), Robin, Starfire, and Raven are recalled to Tamaran since they have a duty to fight for their new nation. Slade, too, goes to Tamaran and fights for the Gordanians. Blackfire (just like in Tangent 1)leads the Dreknathians in battle againstthe people who have rejectedand exiled her.Beast Boy and Cyborg go with the other Titans and the five Titans all help to defeat Slade and Blackfire. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy become decorated war heroes and are offered high positions in the Tamaranian government by a grateful Emperor Galifore. They decline, preferring to return to their home in Jump City. The five Titans go back to Earth and keep serving as superheroes in Jump City.

Galifore dies peacefully after many years; Robin and Starfire are recalled to Tamaran to serve as the Emperor and Empress. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy continue their superhero careers on Earth and occasionally visit the Tamaranian royal family.

**Tangent 3**

Robin finds that his true love is for Raven and leaves Earth, following her to Azarath. They find that Azarath is deserted and at least temporarily, stay on Tamaran. Starfire is disappointed that Robin doesn't share her feelings for him, but she is accepting and kind as always. Granger makes the diplomatic immunity argument and loses, just as in Tangent 1. This doesn't apply to Raven, though. Raven and Robin get married and Granger informs them that Raven can now apply for legal residency using her husband's American citizenship. This allows Robin and Raven to return to the Teen Titans. The four Titans continue being superheroes in Jump City.

Meanwhile, the war between Tamaran and the Gordanian/Dreknathian alliance occurs, and Starfire leads her people against the invaders. Slade is a mercenary for the invasion and Blackfire a Dreknathian official(just as in Tangent 1), andtogether they succeed inoutmaneuvering and defeatingthe lonely Starfire. Tamaran is subjugated and Galifore is overthrown.

Blackfire is made the new Empress of Tamaran and brutally asserts the royal authority, revoking the rights and freedoms permitted by Galifore andexecuting thousands of people who had been loyal to him. After rebuilding the ravaged planet, Blackfire's Tamaranian regime allies together with Gordania and Dreknath to invade Earth. The four surviving Titans join with other superheroes (including the Justice League) to defend the Earth. Once again Slade commands the invading armies. The disunited Human nations on Earth are soon defeated by the Tamaranians' superior technology and enslaved. The Titans become leaders of a guerrilla resistance movement that persists for centuries, but they do not live happily ever after.

**Tangent 4**

Starfire and Raven discover their true love for each other and go to Tamaran together. Robin is disappointed that his feelings for a female Titan are one-sided but he accepts their relationship and returns to Earth, continuing to lead the Titans. On Tamaran, a massive public debate takes place as the Tamaranians must deal with an unprecedented situation. Although Tamaran has a legal procedure for same-sex marriages, once Starfire and Raven are married the Tamaranian lawyers are divided over whether Raven should be made an heir to the throne alongside her wife. If Raven were granted the title of Crown Princess, then Tamaran would be destined to have two simultaneous empresses at some point in the future. The Tamaranian peopleare open to this possibility, but officials worry about the negative impact on diplomatic relations withother governments that might not be as tolerant.

Furthermore, such a pair presented a problem for dynastic succession, because Starfire and Raven obviously would not be able to have children together. When both empresses were dead, who would ascend the throne? Tamaranian scientists offered a solution: They could splice the genetic code of the two princesses together in the lab to create hybrid Tamaranian-demon-human embryos, which either princess could carry to term. In all likelihood, these daughters would find heterosexual Tamaranian mates and thus continue the dynasty.

War breaks out just as in Tangent 1, with Sladeand Blackfire again commanding the Gordanians/Dreknathians. Starfire and Raven lead the Tamaranian forces in battle and, together, manage to defeat Slade and Blackfireand repel the invasion of Tamaran.

Galifore dies peacefully after many years (or perhaps he is killed in the war) and Raven and Starfire become, for the first time in Tamaranian history, the two Empresses of Tamaran.


End file.
